The white mouse and keyboard combination has become as passé as, dare we say it, CRT technology. Color and design diversity have long been factored in as consideration points in addition to absolute functionality. On that note, a fine example is the new Navigator 335 from Genius.

The Modified Mouse

It's hard for anyone not to feast their eyes on the unique carbon fiber weave on the Navigator 335. This is, after all, the same kind of lightweight material that is commonly used on powerboats and performance cars. Not that it matters because the Navigator 335 benefits from the material's lightweight and scratch resistant properties, making it one mean pointing device. The body itself is contoured, ensuring comfort and stability for both left and right-handed users. Beneath the scroll wheel are two buttons for adjusting DPI on the fly and a Keystroke button that can be programmed using the bundled ioCentre software.

Seven different groups for the Keystroke button are available upon installing the ioCentre software. The system group allows you to perform several functions such as minimize, maximize, show desktop, launch various programs, open the My Music or My Picture folder, or access My Computer. The Browser group has options like refresh, back, forward, stop, and auto scroll to make surfing easier. To make office productivity easier, Genius has also placed an Office group for executing simple functions such as cut, copy, paste, zoom, find, and undo.

The Keystroke button can also be programmed to either check, reply, or forward e-mails in conjunction with the Mail group.

The extent of the programmability even stretches to allow users to fire up Instant Messaging application and even switching of user status. Finally, the Other group lets users program the button to perform "turbo" or repeating command, which is most useful for gaming applications.

A Mouse Boost

With a gaming-grade laser engine that promises a DPI of either 800 or 1600, the Navigator 335 has loads of tracking power for any application you care to mention, certainly much more than your average optical sensor mice. Put to its natural habitat on a mousepad, we soon find the groove of the Genius 335 to be most prominent in shooting games. The Turbo (programmed) button proved invaluable when quick firing was necessary. You can practically see how this would give gamers an unfair advantage. Through the same suite of tests, it was found that the DPI button was also particularly useful as it allowed us to switch between the two different sensitivity settings with ease.

Final Thoughts

If conventional mouse doesn't quite cut the cake in the value of styling and performance, then maybe the Genius Navigator 335 will. Its mean looking carbon fiber weave together with its high-performance laser sensor are hard to ignore if you are the sort who always goes for something a little less ordinary. While it may not carry the same naming pedigree as Razer and Logitech, it's hard to rebut that the Genius Navigator 335 has a certain machismo swagger that just might bowl you over.